Camaro Steering Box Kit - Power In A Box

Here's An Easy Way To Upgrade Your Third-Gen Steering.

For anyone who's ever replaced a leaking power steering box, you understand how easy the task would have been had the engine been out of your car. We've heard the grumblings and were smart enough to take advantage of the fact that our tired 305 from our Project Crossfire Z was removed and resting on the shop floor and tackled the chore of replacing our worn out stock steering box. With our Z28 equipped from the factory with the quickest Camaro piece offered (12:1 ratio providing three turns, lock-to-lock, of steering travel), our performance gains from this swap would come from the advanced internal mechanics of the new Flaming River box and the solidifying of the steering shaft assembly. And of course, we were also eliminating a major source of oil leaks.

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Flaming River manufactures a completely new three-bolt mounted steering box that is a direct bolt in. We're happy to report there were no clearance issues.

With the engine removed we had a clear shot at the stock steering box from the engine compartment. If the engine were in place, we would have to access the box from underneath the car.

A single bolt holds the rag joint coupler to the splined steering shaft. Forty years of wear and tear makes it necessary to employ the persuasion of a pry bar to separate.

The coupler is attached at the firewall end with a second bolt that will also need to be removed.

After removing the cotter pin and castle nut from the pitman arm, and the three steering box mounting bolts on the inside of the framerail, the old box can be removed. This is a good time to replace the Pitman arm if it hasn't been done recently.

The Flaming River unit features a trivalent chromium-free plated finish that provides ten times the corrosion resistance of a painted box. The box also employs a rack-and-pinion valve spool for quicker, smoother, more precise steering and handling response.

Most Camaros equipped with steering boxes that are mounted with three bolts will accept universal boxes with four-bolt mounting. Such is not the case on our third-gen due to the framerail configuration. We learned this the hard way when we initially ordered the wrong Flaming River box.

With the Flaming River box installed, we used the new universal joint to center the steering before reconnecting the steering components.

Flaming River supplies the parts to update the OEM steering system. The stock steering shaft assembly (A) will be replaced by a slip shaft assembly (B) similar to what is used in Chevy trucks. The slip shaft kit includes a 36-inch double D shaft and a protective bellows. The system allows for approximately 3 inches of movement to eliminate any binding that could be caused by chassis flex. The result is a smooth, responsive steering system.

Since there's no guarantee that every car is the same, the new shaft must be custom fit to the specific application. Here, Hot Rod Specialties owner Joel Rode measures for the correct length.

It's off to the chop saw for a little steering shaft customization.

With the shaft cut to length, per Flaming River's instructions, we measured 7/8-inch from the end of the shaft and slipped the new universal joint onto that point.

To begin adapting the slip shaft, a short piece of 3/4-inch double D shaft is inserted into the stock steering column at the firewall. This shaft can be drilled and bolted into place, but we opted to tack weld it.

We tightened the universal joint set screws.

We then removed the universal and used the marks made by the set screws to guide us in using a 1/4-inch drill bit to countersink the shaft.

At the steering box end, the universal mates the 1 inch double D outer shaft to the splined shaft in the steering box.

The key to a great performing steering system is to utilize components that are designed to work together. For that reason, we will be upgrading to a new Flaming River integral reservoir steering pump (PN FR1572, $219) when the engine goes back in. Their pump flows 2.7 to 3.1 gallons per minute and has a reservoir that uses the same trivalent chromium-free plating as their steering box. Due to a different configuration of the reservoir, for our third-gen we will be retrofitting the Flaming River pump to our earlier style reservoir using their O-ring adapter kit (PN FR15720R).

Fitting into this segment's "while we we're at it" category, working with all of this crazy cool steering stuff, we just couldn't leave the old steering wheel in the car. Grant hooked us up with a new 14-inch wheel (PN 774, $163.07) and billet adapter (PN 5196, $45.95).

We then reinstalled the universals. With the countersunk dimples and red locktite, the shaft will stay securely fastened. You can never be too cautious when dealing with steering.

Here's the new slip shaft fully assembled and installed.

For additional support of the front frame area around the steering box, we will be adding a Global West Steering Support Brace (PN TS-13, $45.88). The brace is a simple installation that attaches under the stock sway bar mounts. The suspension will have to be fully loaded with the engine installed to properly install the bar.

The rubber bellows allows the inner and outer shaft to collapse, which aids in installing the shaft assembly. At the firewall end, the universal joint mates the 3/4-inch double D shaft in the column to the 3/4-inch inner double D shaft.

While readying the Classical Resurrection Camaro for its trip to the painter, we discovered that we didn't want to keep the stock steering column, and opted to replace whole system with a new steering box, steering wheel, and steering column. - Super Chevy Magazine » Read More

Mark Ceccarelli, '55 Chevy 210 owner and bicycle enthusiast, was dealing with a worn-out stock steering column for years. To remedy the sloppy column, we contacted Flaming River of Berea, Ohio, for one of their tilt columns for Tri-Fives. » Read More